Walter of Kirkham
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| Denomination | Catholic |
|---|---|
| Senior posting | |
| See | Diocese of Durham |
| Title | Bishop of Durham |
| Period in office | 1249–1260 |
| Predecessor | Nicholas Farnham |
| Successor | Robert Stitchill |
| Religious career | |
| Previous post | Dean of York |
| Personal | |
| Date of death | August 9, 1260 |
Walter of Kirkham was a medieval Bishop of Durham.
[edit] Life
Walter was probably a native of Kirkham, Yorkshire.[1] From about January of 1224 Walter held the office of Keeper of the Wardrobe jointly with Walter Brackley. Brackley was out of office by February of 1229, but Kirkham continued to hold the office until August 15, 1231. He held the office again from May of 1234 until October of 1236.[2] The record of office for Kirkham and Brackley from 1224 to 1227 is the first records of the king's Wardrobe to survive. The Wardrobe at this time was responsible not only for the household expenses of the king, but also for the expenses of military campaigns and also court festivals.[3] He held the office of dean of St. Martin's-le-Grand in London by about 1229.[1] He was a canon of York Minster before being named Dean of York by June 21, 1232.[4]
He was elected to the see of Durham on April 21, 1249, and was consecrated on December 5, 1249.[5] King Henry III of England had tried to secure the election of the king's half brother, Aymer de Valence, but did not succeed. Walter was consecrated at York by Walter de Gray, the Archbishop of York.[1] While bishop, in 1255 he ordered an inquiry made into the state of theological knowledge of his clergy. This inquiry was to determine whether the clergy understood the basic dogma of the church and whether they were capable of explaining it to their parishioners.[6] He also issued instructions on how the sacramental wine and bread were to be treated,[7] and forbade the sale of them.[8] Some doubt has recently been cast on the authorship of the statutes that were assigned to his time, they may have been the work of Farnham instead.[1]
Walter attempted to reduce the amount that was going to support his retired predecessor Farnham, but even though he secured the support of the prior of Durham, they were unsuccessful. He did confirm Farnham's gifts to the monks of Durham, and increased them with gifts of his own. His conflict with John Balliol over a manor both claimed, after an ambush where the bishop's servants were kidnapped, led to Walter imposing a penance on Balliol to support poor scholars at Oxford. This was one of the first steps towards the founding of Balliol College.[1]
In 1257 Walter was part of an embassy to Scotland during King Alexander III of Scotland's minority. Walter's house in London was used by Simon de Montfort during 1258. Walter may have supported Simon in Simon's dispute with King Henry III, for In 1258, Walter refused to come to court and quarrelled with the king. The cause of the quarrel may have been Walter's support of Simon.[1]
He died on August 9, 1260[9] at Howden. He was buried in the Durham Cathedral chapter house on August 17, 1260.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Piper "Kirkham, Walter of (d. 1260)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 79
- ^ Chrimes Introduction to the Administrative History of England p. 102-103
- ^ British History Online Deans of York accessed on October 25, 2007
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 242
- ^ Moorman Church Life p. 92
- ^ Moorman Church Life p. 226
- ^ Moorman Church Life p. 228
- ^ British History Online Bishops of Durham accessed on October 25, 2007
[edit] References
- British History Online Bishops of Durham accessed on October 25, 2007
- British History Online Deans of York accessed on October 25, 2007
- Chrimes, S. B. (1966). An Introduction to the Administrative History of Mediaeval England, Third Edition, Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Moorman, John R. H. (1955). Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century, Revised Edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Piper, A. J. "Kirkham, Walter of (d. 1260)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed February 2, 2008
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nicholas Farnham |
Bishop of Durham 1249–1260 |
Succeeded by Robert Stitchill |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Walter of Kirkham |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Bishop of Durham |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 9, 1260 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
